Rating: 
Summary: The Courtney saga continues
Review: Monsoon is both a worthy and lengthy sequel to Birds of Prey. We find Hal Courtney 20 odd years down he line in his spacious English country gentleman's estate surrounded by his 4 sons. He has already buried 3 wives and is getting bored rearing his sons. He soon gets coaxed by the East India Tea Company to embark on one of his swashbuckling voyages to rid the trade route of Arabian pirates. His eldest son, the black hearted William remains at home as the caretaker of the estate. His son Guy isn't up to the task and gets sent to Bombay. His other 2 sons Tom and Dorian, both chips off the old block, carry on in the seafaring tradition. The story mainly follows the exploits of Tom and Dorian who through the fortunes of battle become separated for many years. The saga goes back and forth between the lives of brothers, sometimes in an annoying fashion. The length of the book is a bit tedious but Smith's descriptive prose makes it palatable. He sets the ending up perfectly for yet another sequel.
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Summary: Visual visit to 17th-18th century East Africa and Arabia
Review: Near the end of the seventeenth century, any Englishman who makes part or all of his fortune in Africa or Arabia, knows not to trust anyone but family to protect the holdings. Sir Hal Courtney realizes that so he sets a plan in motion to protect what he and his family already own and to make an even greater fortune. His oldest son stays behind in England to manage the vast landholdings. His other three boys accompany him on his seemingly hopeless quest for an inordinate size treasure. However, more likely, Hal and his four children will face death, betrayal, and dishonor as the sibling rivalry is so fierce that nothing, including the Courtneys, seem capable of surviving its devastation. MONSOON, the sequel to BIRDS OF PREY, is a typical swashbuckling, non-stop thriller that takes readers on a magical tour of plus or minus a few years circa 1800 East Africa and Arabia. The story line never eases up as the audience sees a dysfunctional family struggling to unite in support of a common goal. Wilbur Smith leaves fans feeling that they sailed alongside Sir Hal because the geography and the era appear so genuine. This is what makes a Smith book worth reading. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: I got this book as a birthday gift from my best friend...Got it, then let it lounge for about 3 months; It just didn't interest me. (yes.. never judge a book by its cover.)
Upon picking it up, I immediately was transported to the 18th century .. Now Mr.Smith isn't a fantastic writer, in my humble opinion, but he IS a great storyteller.. i could not get enough of this book! A coming of age story, i especially liked Dorian's sojourn in the hand of the Muslims. The entire novel reminded me those adventure novels i read as a boy, but updated for a more mature audience.. The feud between the brothers was tangible, and you felt sad that Tom probably never would see England again, and the holdings of his forefathers,High Weald.Mr.Smith conveyed a sense of purpose, and destiny to the characters, and made them believable in a 'honourable, knight/boy-scout sort of way' ( the way you thought all people were when you were reading as a child )
That said, at times, I considered Mr.Smith's style a bit common, but again, the story was excellent.. I enjoyed this, and others of his books thoroughly since then...
Rating:
Summary: Historical Action
Review: MONSOON is a highly enjoyable Historical Action/Adventure novel. The action sequences are well told and Wilbur Smith proves to have a dynamic description which holds a readers interest right to the end. The Story is also well constructed : Sir Hal Courtney, a famous adventurer is sent to Africa to put an end to an arab pirates(Jangiri)attacks which have hindered the trade in the area. However, everything falls on Tom's (his young son) shoulder as Hal is wiped out of the picture during a fierce battle. Alot is covered in this "boys adventure" tale which I found appealing, and the fighting between the brothers added a nice touch. However, I found the re-occuring romantic theme very tiresome and un-necessary. Tom's relationship could have been toned down, but Dorians relationship to Yasmini, the choiceless princess, was excellent! Also, the scene where Tom almost kills his own brother Dorian without knowing towards the end gives the story a tragic edge which was pretty tense--Dorian was captured earlier on and raised by Arabs, becoming a respected leader of the scattered Omani tribes. Overall, a great Action story well worth reading!!
Rating:
Summary: my review
Review: One man, Henry Courtney, sees his four sons follow a different destiny. However, he is not there to see the final chapter.... Wilbur Smith is a master storyteller. His writing is so descriptive, you can close your eyes and relive every scene with all its details. The characters are very well described and the story is never boring and always flows in a constant rythm. I really enjoyed reading this book. I took my time to really enjoy every scene the author describes and I was very sad when the book was over, because I wanted to keep on reading about all their adventures! The setting is also very exciting, with all the glamour and adventure of the trading routes between England, the Cape and Bombay. Great book, wonderful reading, very enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Great, loved it.....on to more Wilbur....
Review: I loved river god and from there have read 6 of his books.....This was great and kept getting better....
Rating:
Summary: Too good for words
Review: Simply put, this book is excellent. After reading the previous book, Bird of Prey, I had a good background knowledge of some of the characters and the world in which it is set. The characters are brilliant, so are the plots, the adventures, the intrigue, the love triangles.... the list goes on and on. If ever a book deserved 5 stars, this is the one.
Rating: 
Summary: Too pretentious for [its] own good
Review: The novel fails to strike a balance of tone. It is hopelessly complex for something that has no substance. The characters have no definition, they exist on paper as a one-dimensional cardboard cut-outs of childhood heroes. The writer seems very confused about his own values of life. He describes the main characters as noble and moral. These are aristo's in the 18th century, who are incredibly tolerant of other races and unaware of social status. This you could even swallow as enlightenment and ahead of their times, if these same characters didn't thoughtlessly execute foreign people because of minor offences. It plays very heavy on the heroic part, it tries to sell itself as an epic, yet it does not have the common goal on which an epic thrives. For an heroic tale, it is hard to sympathise with characters whose ultimate goal is material gain, on the cost of others, even if they are "Arab savages". It is not all wrong though, the third part of the book sees young Darian grow up in the Arab world, where he is revered by his captors. It is very interesting to see how he deals with affection from those he hates. Yet when he joins with his brother, the story suddenly cuts off with a paragraph or two, right in the middle of action. Apparently Wilbur Smith felt uncomfortable with great story-lines and quality settings, that he cut off, probably to get back to the familiar grounds of dreary writing and embarrassing characterisation. I highly recommend Monsoon to everyone who can't read. To those who can, stay clear, or you may lose faith in humanity...
I give this 2 stars for having a quite decent third part, unfortunately the rest was so incredibly bad.
Rating:
Summary: Unparalleled Writer
Review: I'm yet to come across a better writer than Mr.Smith. Its less like reading a book and more like watching a great action thriller. Too bad I could give it just 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Superb, a triumph for Smith.
Review: This is the ultimate escapist read. Wilbur Smith takes the reader from wealthy English life in the 17th century, to the intrigues of the sultan of Zanzibar. Full of good old fashioned swashbuckling action, more action, and the requisite guy meets girl, kills many for girl relationship. Most of Smith's character's are fairly one sided, but this book portrayed many interesting character relationships. By far one of Smith's best works, I hope for many more of this ilk.
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